Meet Me At the House on Carillon Beach
by FlowerPot21
Summary: We can have everything here...EC, spoilers from season 3, 4, 6 and 7. Be patient with me on this one.
1. One

_A conversation about the beach led to this story. We all need a place to retreat to, right? Some errors have been corrected. Here goes it._

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Meet Me At The House on Carillon Beach

One

__

2003

That first summer, they had a picnic lunch on the beach, shared a piece of cake, then she rested her head on his shoulder and that was when he began to seriously question if he could ever really, truly be just friends with this woman.

"Too bad you can't stay a little longer."

O-O-O

A couple of days ago, Eric had gotten a call from Calleigh.

He'd been wondering where she disappeared to upon discovering that she'd taken the month of May off. He called her cell phone but kept getting her voice mail. Speed told him not to worry about her, that she probably needed a breather. Eric felt that the least she could do was answer his phone calls. He left her a message, and then left her alone after that, worked his shifts.

Then she'd called him, telling him how her parents bought a vacation home at Carillon Beach and that they were driving her crazy. At first he'd said no, citing how they were coworkers and just how awkward it would be with her parents. But she'd worn him down, and the next thing he knew, he was packing a bag with a few days worth of the essentials and driving to Carillon Beach. He'd never really had a desire to go to the hundreds of other beach locales in Florida before because having grown up in Florida, after a while, "Going to the beach" left a lot to be desired.

But there was one single perk: Calleigh.

His heart pounded in his chest at the thought of spending a few days with Calleigh Duquesne. Her parents? Not so much.

He admitted that he was a little smitten by her; but almost every guy she came in contact with would be a fool not to feel that way. He would even say that Speed was a little taken by her, even though his friendship with her was more tit-for-tat than anything. Two seasoned professionals that got on each others nerves.

Either way, it was hard not to notice a sunny Southern belle with natural blonde hair, stunning green eyes and a perpetually bright smile on her face. Eric noticed, had been noticing for almost two years now.

He pulled up beside her car in the drive way, and he got out, picking up his bag and headed to the front door. He pressed the doorbell. The place was beautiful, in need of a little work, but otherwise very nice.

"Just a minute!" She called from within.

It was exactly a minute before she opened the door.

In a red bikini with a matching sarong.

He never thought that he would live to see the day that Calleigh wore a bikini. A red one at that.

He gave her a once over, quickly taking in her curves, her slightly tan skin, and for a moment, he thought that it was a dream, but she was stunningly, tangibly real with her long, straight hair flowing over one shoulder.

"Hey, you made it," she smiled.

He took her in again, and she tilted her head to the side.

"I wouldnt miss it for the world," he smirked.

She opened the door wider and he stepped into the rather cluttered house.

"Sorry about the mess," she apologized as she closed the door. "My parents have been trying to decorate..."

She rolled her eyes, her shoulders slumping a bit then straightening back up.

"Yellow, pink, green, orange," she sighed. "On and on...it doesn't matter, it's Florida for God's sake."

He chuckled. "Where are they now?"

"I love my parents but I dont know and I really dont care," she drawled in her sweet southern accent.

All this woman had to do to fuel his fantasies for the next few weeks-maybe months-was turn around and walk away.

_Goddammit, keep it in your pants Delko,_ he thought to himself.

He knew he shouldn't have been thinking those thoughts about her, especially not when she was obviously blissfully unaware of his attraction to her.

She stepped closer and she hugged him quickly then she pulled away, the contact making her shiver slightly and her heart begin to pound furiously within her as she felt his strong, muscled abdomen against her. What the _hell_ has she done? She invited Eric Delko to stay with her for a few days in a house on the beach, no work or coworkers between them. No. That barrier was smashed to a million pieces and there was nothing to hold her back.

Calleigh liked Eric. She felt like a school girl, having a crush on a man. Hed been a good friend for the last two years, and she has definitely enjoyed spending time training him in the lab and making him feel comfortable working with her and the rest of the team. Most people didnt treat him with respect as a fellow law enforcement officer because he worked underwater recovery. But she respected him because any man that would dive into the dirty sludges that were the swamps and ponds in Florida with enthusiasm deserved her respect.

She never expected that she would get a little taken, though. Taken enough to push the envelope a little bit by touching his shoulder, hugging him, putting her hands on his hips, on his chest. He hasnt resisted her yet.

"I'm so glad you came," she said appreciatively. "I need another voice of reason to back up mine."

"So I'm your ally now?"

"You better be," she giggled. "C'mon, let me show you around, then get you settled."

He walked next to her instead of letting her lead because he knew his eyes would miss the tour.

"Okay, the house has three bedrooms," she explained. "We've got the beds and everything set up, so you'll be comfortable. The room at the end of the hall is where my parents are staying, this is my room right here, and yours is across the hall from me. The bathroom is right here next to my room and the washer and dryer are in this linen closet."

She hooked her arm in his as she led him into the living room.

"Here's the combo living room dining room, and the kitchen," she said then she led him out onto the deck. "And the patio. The steps go down to the beach."

"Nice," he said then he turned to her. "So what made you want a beach house?"

Calleigh chuckled, looking out to the ocean. "Oh no...this is my parents' little adventure, I'm just along for the ride...however bumpy."

They both looked out to the horizon, watching as the waves rolled in and spread onto the sand. The sound of the ocean was something that he was beginning to take for granted, but he felt himself beginning to relax at the sound and the smell. It was some how purer than in Miami.

Eric looked at her and she grinned.

"So um...you can get yourself comfortable," she smiled. "And maybe we can just...hang out? Make some dinner?"

"Sure," he said.

One the way to his room, he stopped and looked in on Calleighs. Her room smelled like sun block and jasmine, and she had a flowery comforter on the bed. She had her robe draped over the bed, and he saw her hair brush lying next to it.

He knew that it was a massive invasion of her privacy, looking into her room, that he was crossing the line, but arent they already? He knew that they were playing with fire here. For the better part of a year, he'd been thinking about her, following her closely at work, relying on her patience to guide him and her loyalty to help him earn trust and respect among the others. All the while he became comfortable with touching her arm, hugging her, putting his hand on her lower back, slowly blurring that fine line between coworkers and friends.

She was his best friend and he was hers. They were only doing what has been coming naturally to them. They spend time together outside of work, they talk and laugh together, sometimes drink together.

This was completely natural.

O-o-O

Eric was awakened by a knock on the door.

He opened his eyes slightly, adjusting them to the bright sunlight filtering into the room. The door opened, and Calleigh stepped in, wearing a robe, and brushing out her wet hair, smiling. He opened his eyes a little wider and he shifted in bed. She used her brush to tap his feet under the covers.

"Good morning," she smiled as she sat on his bed.

He furrowed his eyebrows and looked at the clock. "Calleigh...it's seven in the morning..."

"So?" She shrugged.

He closed his eyes again. "So you're crazy to be this happy this early. Besides, I'm on vacation."

"Oh, so its a vacation now, is it?" She giggled. "C'mon, get up its nice out this morning. We can have breakfast on the patio."

"Are your parents even up yet?"

"Maybe," she shrugged. "They're not here. They're staying with some friends for a few days. I swear, for two divorced people, they sure spend an awful lot of time together."

She got up and went and opened up the windows, letting in the breeze and the sound of the ocean. If she thought that would wake him up, she was sorely mistaken. She was a morning person, even during her time off and it was obvious that she was putting him on her schedule. He turned onto his stomach, burying his hands under the pillow.

Calleigh turned and she saw that Eric was dozing still, and she bit her lip.

_Wow_, she thought to herself. _Wait no...this is what we do. We're best friends and I've seen him sleep before...like a log._

"Cmon Eric," she pressed. "Rise and shine."

"Alright," he groaned.

"And youre cooking breakfast," she said before leaving his room and going across the hall to hers and closing the door softly.

Eric sat up and he saw that Calleigh placed some towels on the dresser at some point either this morning or last night.

Last night Calleigh taught him how to make really good, spicy ettouffe and she made some rice to go with it. It went perfectly with the beer and they ate and talked and then afterward, watched _Ghostbusters_ I and II. Eric found out what a total nerd she was about the movies, how she knew almost every signature line, laughed the entire time and gave him trivia from the movie. He thought he had her pegged, but she went and surprised him. When she got tired, she curled up against him, and he wrapped his arm around her as she fell asleep.

Natural.

Eric took a quick shower and got dressed, and when he went into the living room, Calleigh was sitting on the floor, unpacking a box full of things to decorate the house with. Today she was wearing a pair of khaki shorts with a sleeveless pink button down blouse and white flip flops, showing off her dainty feet and small painted toes. Her hair was down and being contained by a headband. She looked cute, like she always did at work, demure, buttoned up, and with hair clips to hold back all that hair.

"So how do you like your eggs?" He asked as he went into the kitchen.

"Oh I dont care," she said as she took out a truly hideous painting. "You've got to be joking. My mom has the worst taste in the world."

"I wouldnt say in the world," Eric chuckled. "I mean...have you forgotten what Speedle's place looks like?"

"Oh yeah," Calleigh frowned. "Point taken. That armchair of his? Disgraceful."

"Yeah, so cut your mom some slack," he said.

"You wouldnt be saying that if you knew her," she remarked, then she gasped. "Wind chimes! At least she got one thing right. I'm going to hang it. It's too quiet."

"Isn't that the point?" He asked. "I mean, the privacy, hearing and watching the ocean..."

"Yeah, but wind chimes just makes it perfect," she smiled as she pulled the large wind chime out of the box.

"They're noisy," he said.

"No," she said as she set the wind chime on the couch before stood up and went over to the island in the kitchen. "I like wind chimes because they're a sign of whats coming. They ding and chime so that when it comes, it wont surprise you at all. You'll know its there."

He looked up at her and he could see the fancifulness in her eyes and he held her gaze for a long moment before he turned his attention back to making breakfast before it overcooked.

"So your parents are divorced?"

The question caught Calleigh off guard and she looked up from her very delicious poached eggs.

"Hmm?"

"Your parents," he began again as he poured some more orange juice. "You mentioned earlier that they're divorced."

"Oh yeah," she waved off.

"How long have they been divorced?"

"Eight years," she sighed. "But like I said before, they spend a lot of time together...they've been off an on ever since, mostly because of my dad's drinking."

Calleigh went back to eating her eggs, not wanting to talk about her parents' divorce anymore. Whenever she thought about it, the story of how they broke up was different every time, a different reason. There were more reasons than just her dads propensity for knocking back more than a few, at least that was what she liked to think.

"This is really good," she complimented him, and he smiled.

"Thanks," he said. "So um, I gather your parents are a delicate subject."

She didn't look up this time, now playing with her potatoes a little. "Even though I'm older now, it still confuses me...it still hurts me, Eric. It just...totally changed my view of everything."

Calleigh looked up at him then.

"I-I didn't really have anyone to talk to about it," she said, her eyes glistening. "I was away at Tulane, and I went home for Christmas...they told me Christmas day.

Eric swallowed thickly.

He asked himself.

What kind of parents tell their kid that theyre divorcing on Christmas Day? Why would they do that to her?

"Talk about a sour Christmas gift, huh?" She joked, her voice quavering a bit.

"Calleigh-"

She shook her head. "It's okay...we move on, right?"

They ate in comfortable silence on the patio, watching as kids ran up and down the beach, laughing and playing, the wheezing of the breeze and the thunder of the ocean sounding mightily between them.

"I want to hang the wind chime," she said after they finished breakfast.

She went into the house and picked up the wind chime, which had shiny, silver chimes in varying sizes to make a myriad of different notes, and swaying intermittently between the chimes were wooden birds hanging from string at varying lengths.

"Mom got it right," Calleigh mused as she came back out on the patio. She placed the chimes onto the table. She hoisted herself carefully on the ledge of the patio.

"Be careful," Eric said.

She kicked off her flip flops then Eric put his hands on her waist to help hold her steady as she carefully turned to the side then she delicately stood up, balancing on the rather narrow ledge. He hand one hand on her silky leg, and he was able to see the curve of her behind and how her shorts stopped just tantalizingly short of-

"Eric, can you um," she smiled, blushing. "Hand me the wind chime please?"

"Sure."

He picked up the wind chime and handed it to her, while supporting her.

She hung it delicately on the rusty hook and then she smiled.

"There," she said victoriously, then she turned her torso slightly and put her hands on his shoulders. "Alright I'm coming down."

He put his hands on her hips and he picked her up slightly and then brought her down, sitting her on the ledge. She slowly caressed her hands down over his chest, looking into his eyes and he stepped closer to her, his hands still on her hips.

There was a gust of wind, and it sent the wind chimes into a frenzy of unorchestrated symphony and Calleigh smiled.

"See?"

She kissed his cheek then she hopped off of the ledge and went into the house.

O-o-O

"Too bad you can't stay a little longer."

Eric hugged Calleigh a little tighter, the gentle wind from the Atlantic blowing a few strands of her long hair into her face, which he brushed away and she reached a hand up and pushed her hair behind her ear. She liked the ease with which he held her, pushed her hair from her face, and allowed her to vent to him and he talked openly to her too, and it was scaring both of them. It was scaring them, but neither of them said a word about it, nor let one another on to it because it would absolutely ruin everything.

"I know."

She looked up at him.

"Did you have a good time?"

"Yeah I did," he grinned and she nodded as she began to clean up.

He helped her and once that task was finished, he helped her to stand up.

Before they stopped to eat lunch, they just walked, and Calleigh picked up a few shells and rocks along the way to inspect. He looked at her constantly, finding out just how beautiful she really was for the first time.

They'd had chicken salad sandwiches, potato chips, a couple of sodas, and then shared a piece of delicious chocolate cake. Afterward, she leaned up against him, lulled by the rushing sound of the ocean. Soon he found his arm wrapped around her again, like itd been the other night.

She was way too comfortable, way too okay with all of this.

Now they were staring at each other, their feet sinking into the warm sand.

"Come back," she said simply.

"Whenever youre here," he said as he put his hand on her cheek and she grinned.

Eric caressed his thumb over her cheek bone gently before he removed his hand.

They began to walk back to the house together.

**TBC**


	2. Two

_Angsty chapter...but what's an EC romance without a few bumps along the way? It'll get better for them...pinky promise._

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Meet Me At the House on Carillon Beach

Two

The second summer, Eric broke her heart.

She dug her fingers into the cool sand, her body shaking as she cried, her sobs drowned out by the crash of the ocean before her. She tried to keep her eyes open so she wouldn't have to replay the terrible, tragic images that she couldn't vanquish as she slumped and crumbled under the tremendous weight of angered grief.

She felt a blanket being wrapped around her cold body.

"Come inside, Lambchop."

O-o-O

The sky opened up about an hour after shed arrived. The clouds began to roll in during the funeral, and she'd hoped to be at the house before it rained.

Calleigh made sure to dot her is and cross her ts on the paper work for a transfer out of ballistics and for a months leave. She'd signed her name then she put it in the mail slot for HR to pick up. Still dressed in black, fresh from John's funeral, she knew that she stuck out like a sore thumb as she walked through the lab to the locker room. She hadn't intended on stopping by the lab, but she had to take care of some business and pick up some things from her locker.

She'd hated all of the looks and the sympathy and she just wanted to leave.

She gathered up her extra set of clothes, secured her firearm, and then she closed her locker.

Eric had decided to come into the locker room at that very moment.

"Hey," he said softly. "What are you doing here? I thought you were going to take some time off?"

She pushed her hair behind her ears and gave a ghost of a smile.

"Yeah I am," she sighed. "I just...had to grab a few things."

"You okay?" He asked.

"Im fine," she said.

He'd moved closer to her; for either a hug or to put a hand on her shoulder, she wasn't sure, but he stopped just short, the intense concern and care in his brown eyes. She always did like the color brown for this specific reason. Even if he wasn't doing it physically, his eyes comforted, soothed, assured.

"You need me to drive you home?" He asked.

"I'm actually going to the house," she said with a grin. "It kinda grew on me."

He chuckled. "Yeah."

"You and Horatio are the only people that have the number to the house," she said as she rummaged around in her purse.

She pulled out a key and gave it to him.

"Calleigh-"

"No, take it," she insisted as she closed his fingers around the silver key. "Okay?"

Familiar with her persistent nature, he didn't argue with her, only smiled and nodded.

With that she stepped around him and left.

That was hours ago, and now she was sitting in the large, plush leather chair facing the back patio. She wrapped her cold fingers around the cup of tea she had. Chamomile, to soothe her and perhaps get her to go to sleep. She bought some groceries, but she didn't eat anything, couldn't. She wasnt normally squeamish, but the capacity of her constitution had lowered significantly over the last couple of weeks.

That single blood drop.

A few days after John committed suicide right before her eyes, she went stir crazy at home. She had to work, do what she loved to ease the nightmares, the ache of the tragedy. She'd done everything like normal: she'd put on her protective glasses, put on a pair of gloves, picked up the gun and poised herself for a test fire. Before she squeezed the trigger, she heard the blood drop land on the sleeve of her lab coat.

She'd thought to herself as she wiped it off.

Then she looked up.

John's blood, splinters from his skull, and brain matter was stuck up on the ceiling of her lab.

She didn't lose it right there and then; her mind was too preoccupied with procedure, how she'd take care of getting it cleaned up, berate the fool who didnt do a thorough job in the first place...after that, after everything had begun to work itself out and she made it home, she lost her tightly held control and ran to her bathroom and also lost her lunch.

She cried then-half sobbed, half screamed-on her bathroom floor. She felt so angry, so pathetic, and it just made her cry even more.

Calleigh closed her eyes.

She should have seen it coming. She should have known that John was deeply depressed, desperate to get a leg up in the department again. She probably contributed to his depression too by breaking up with him. He wasnt really right after that, now that she thought about it. But she didnt break up with him because she thought that he was a bad man or a bad boyfriend. She broke up with him for professional reasons, they couldnt work together, and people talked about them around the lab, something which she couldn't tolerate. Shed spent many years building up her reputation, she wasnt about to lose that and her respect over a relationship that had lost it's steam.

She thought that he understood that, being a professional himself, but he took it hard, obviously.

She took another sip of her tea, letting the warmth of it seep into her belly and then radiate out to her skin.

There was a gust of wind, and the rain came down harder, pelting against the glass door that led out to the patio.

She took down the wind chimes for fear that they just might get blown away. The thunder rolled, the lighting struck, the wind whipped and battered and the ocean swelled a bit and collided onto its coast furiously. The rain was needed-it has been quite dry lately, so this rain was good.

It could be heard crashing onto the roof in sheets.

John was a good man, and he'd been good to her for a little while; he had some years on her, her being nearly thirty, him forty, but that didn't make much of a difference. He wasnt much of a romantic, but he did his best to impress her, to make her smile.

Now he was gone.

She'd been thankful that his eyes were closed. If hed died with his eyes open, she knew that she would have died too.

Calleigh ran her fingers through her hair, swallowing thickly as she rubbed a hand over her face. Her stomach clenched-the pain was _deep_-deep within her belly and chest. It was deeper than she expected it to be. She hadn't been in love with John, but she still felt for him and to know that in the end, she hadn't been able to help him, that his life slipped through her fingers was twisting the knife.

She felt the first shake, then more came as she quickly set her mug down and covered her face as she sobbed.

She wanted it back.

She wanted her control back, her composure back...most of all she wanted her lab back.

_It was stupid of you to give up like that_, Calleigh criticized herself. _That was the weakest thing youve ever done._

She wanted _everything_ back.

O-o-O

She cried.

And cried.

Cried until her nose was raw from the tissue, her eyes bloodshot, and tear stains on her cheeks.

She fell asleep crying, woke up in the middle of the night crying, and the went back to sleep again.

It was finally morning. Or afternoon, Calleigh wasnt sure exactly.

She turned onto her back in bed to look at the clock.

Ten thirty.

She blinked her eyes at the bright rays of the sun shining through the window. She didn't draw the curtains last night, and she sighed as she closed her eyes, a head ache coming on.

She sat up slowly and then she got out of bed and headed to the kitchen. She opened up the fridge and took out the orange juice. She took down a glass and washed it out before she poured some juice into it. She then went over to her purse and retrieved some medicine for her headache.

She took a Motrin then she took a long drink of her orange juice.

Calleigh looked outside and saw that it was bright and clear, the waves in the Atlantic now calm.

She went over to the door, sipping at her orange juice on the way. She opened the door and she was greeted with a refreshing, crisp breeze. It caressed her face and she closed her eyes before she stepped out onto the wet deck. It smelled like rain and saltwater, and she inhaled deeply.

She went back inside and wiped her feet off on the rug before she closed the door.

She replaced the orange juice back into the fridge and then she put the cup into the sink.

Calleigh didn't know what to do with herself.

She wanted to work, make herself productive, but she didn't want to go back. She didn't feel like she could be at her best, didn't feel like she'd be able to concentrate...she didn't feel _safe_.

She forgot.

John put a gun to her head, scared the shit out of her, made her think that the perp had come back. All along it was John that had betrayed her trust, scared her, pressed the cold, hard barrel of his gun against her head. She trusted him.

_Trust_.

It was being broken left and right.

After Tim died last fall, things changed around the lab. A new guy came in, Ryan, and trust was at a premium now.

_Weapon malfunction_, that's what she'd cited, knowing that Speed hadn't been properly cleaning and keeping up the maintenance on his gun. Even after she'd told him how important it was to keep his gun clean, inspected and taken care of.

Calleigh was angry at him, at first. She trusted him, trusted that he had the wherewithal to clean his firearm.

Things have changed. It hasn't been the same in the lab without Speed.

She missed him, more than she was willing to admit out loud. He was a good CSI, funny, and a good friend to both her and to Eric. Eric took Tim's death really hard. He was still dealing with it, she could tell because he was different, he didnt talk to her, he pulled away from her.

She missed it all, and she was so angry, angry beyond words. On top of the anger she felt guilt, sadness, frustrationand she came here, to this house to try and salvage the point in her life when everything had been good, and things were easy. There was no lab here; fragile glass walls and doors shattered here and she was stripped. Stripped of her pride, stripped of her badge, stripped of her calm and sense. Not CSI Duquesne here. She was just Calleigh Duquesne.

Calleigh.

Pure Calleigh.

She gripped the island tightly, so tightly that her knuckles turned bright white as she tried to will herself not to start crying again. She blinked as she looked up at the ceiling, trying to get a grip, as her chest clenched. Her chin quivered and she inhaled deeply before she exhaled a sob.

Tears overflowed, following the tracks her previous tears left behind.

She wiped her tears but they kept coming and she sniffled and ran her fingers though her hair.

"Stop crying," she sobbed to herself stubbornly. "Stop crying, stop crying...stop _fucking_ crying!"

She took a few deep breaths and she calmed down a bit as she grabbed a paper towel and wiped her tears then blew her nose. She went over to the big, plush leather couch that swallowed her small frame.

Decorating the house was a family/team effort. Her dad wanted classic southern décor, her mother wanted chic, and Calleigh didn't care. Together, they blended in their tastes, and the end result was a comfortable, chic and modern beach house. It made her feel a little better to sit on a couch that she picked out herself.

She rested into it, pulling the blanket around herself before she took her cell phone out of her purse.

She dialed Eric's number.

It rang four times, and then his voicemail picked up.

"You've reached Delko, you know what to do."

After the beep, Calleigh hesitated a bit before beginning her message.

"Hey Eric," she said, cleaning up her voice a little bit, but soft. "I um..."

"I'm at the house, and..." She paused and chuckled a bit. "Well, just wanted to let you know I made it. Before the storm yesterday. So, I was just calling to let you know that and I hope you stayed dry too. Bye."

She ended the call then she put her phone on the coffee table.

And even then, she couldn't trust herself to be real, to let other people know that she was capable of being this transparent, of feeling real, intense pain and fear. She wasnt stronger than any of it.

The tears were silent this time, and she got up and went to her bedroom and closed the door.

O-o-O

A week and three days have gone by, and Calleigh has since spent much of her days in the house, but feeling progressively better. Today was a particularly good day, with bright sunlight, and clear, cool air outside. She'd taken a hot bath, actually gotten dressed, and went for a walk.

Horatio called her on her third day at the house, asked if she was alright, and she said yes, that she was fine and getting some rest.

Of course she left out the part about the night terrors, the slight depression and her inability to eat a decent meal.

Calleigh has never experienced anything like this before. She's been sad, yes, angry, yes...but this was different. She wasn't always happy, but she was never ever this sad and tired, and emotional. She never felt so tired that even the thought of getting out of bed made her cry, she never felt so sad that everything she did had absolutely no motivation driving it at all, she never felt so detached that she didn't want anything to do with anyone or anything.

But she was actually _functioning_ a little better today.

She liked the way the warm sand felt against her feet as she walked, and that was the first thing she took pleasure in for a long while. She made her way up the steps and then she went back into the house, but left the door open to let in some fresh air. She was tired, though, real tired, and achy too. She wanted to take another bath, but then shed have to clean the tub, wait for the water to get warm, then wait for the tub to fill up. Too much waiting, and a shower required too much standing.

She plopped down on the couch, then she laid down and curled up under the blanket she pulled over herself.

How long was it going to be like this? Did it get worse?

She knew, but didnt _know_. Because she didn't dwell on things, she didn't let them get to her.

It was all overcoming her at once, though; Speed's death, Eric's withdrawal, Wolfe replacing Speed in the lab, the report, her father's alcoholism...

John's death just opened her Pandoras box.

She was probably the most unattractive thing...her eyes were dull and had dark patches under them from broken sleep, she was pale, her skin was rather dry...this wasn't her.

Her cell phone rang, and she sighed and closed her eyes as she reached over and flipped it open.

"Hello?"

"Calleigh?"

"Yes," she said plaintively.

"Its Eric."

"Hey," she said, feeling quite numb.

"You sound different," he observed. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, Im okay," she said, playing with the fringe of the blanket.

"Why haven't you been answering my phone calls?" He asked. "I've been trying to reach you...I've called you like ten times and left I don't even know how many messages."

She bit her lip then she sat up.

"Can you come to the house?"

He sighed heavily.

That meant a no.

"Believe me Calleigh, I want to," he said. "But I can't...we're reviewing Hagan's previous cases, so I've actually been stuck in here like a lab rat."

"Oh," she said, feeling so empty that the sound of her own voice echoed dramatically within her and around her. "You can't....just come and stay overnight?"

There was a pause on his end, then he spoke.

"I dont know Cal," he said. "I don't want to say yes when I'm not sure I can..."

Calleigh rubbed a hand over her face. "I'm _here_, Eric. I. Am. _Here_."

She didn't know what her words really meant, nor what they were supposed to do. She just said them because they were at the center of her heart.

"You say that like Im supposed to drop everything and be there," he said quietly. "Like Im obligated."

"You're not obligated," she said, getting frustrated. "It's not an obligation when you _want_ to be here."

He didn't argue with that.

"Look Calleigh, it was just three days out of a summer two years ago," he said, the regret clear in his voice. "And maybe we got our wires crossed or something...I don't know."

She felt the ache course through her body. "So, you're basically saying that those three days meant nothing to you at all?"

He sighed. "Not in that way, I guess is what I'm trying to say."

"Then why'd you bother?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Eric, you asked me out then you stood me up," she explained. "I waited for you and you never came and I didn't see you until I got to work the next day and all you had to say to me was that you lost track of time and that you were sorry."

"I was sorry," he defended.

"After that you closed up on me and acted like it didn't even happen," she said. "I'm beginning to question my trust in you because you lied."

"I didn't lie."

"Yes you did," Calleigh accused. "You don't lose track of time...there was something you weren't telling me and I knew it. And things have gotten worse since Tim died. Nothing has been the same between us, in the lab...and it hurts me to question my trust in you."

"You can still trust me," he insisted. "I made a mistake, Calleigh and I'm sorry about that."

"I need to know why," she said, not even sure if she wanted to know the answer.

"Calleigh-"

"Just tell me."

"I screwed up," he said. "That's all."

Calleigh felt the prickly heat of anger creep up her neck and cheeks.

"You're an asshole."

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me Eric," she said angrily. "You'd rather go out and fuck one of those anonymous girls with that stupid toothing than be a man and do things right. You act like your'e the only one that lost a best friend. I lost Tim too, we all did Eric, but you cant push the friends that are still here away. I am _not_ one of those whores you just use and throw away and never have to see again. I'm your friend, your coworker and I deserved better. I deserve better and you know it."

"First of all Calleigh, my private life is none of your business," he said in a low, angered voice. "Secondly, I'm not going to let you insult me. I didn't even know you were angry about what I did. You can't be strong all the time, like you've been trying to be."

"What I'm feeling has nothing to do with the fact that you treated me like I don't mean anything to you," she hissed. "And that _does_ make you an asshole. I don't care if you fuck every little twit in Miami, I'm done with this."

"Calleigh..."

She opened her mouth to say something, but she closed it, her eyes filling with tears.

"Calleigh, you still there?"

Calleigh flipped her phone closed.

Trembles of pain and confusion forced the sobs out.

O-o-O

"Come inside, Lambchop."

She shook her head. "Leave me alone, daddy..."

"You've been alone long enough," Kenwall Duquesne said as he rubbed her arms to try and warm her up. "Come inside. You're cold."

She wrapped her arms around her middle.

"It hurts," she cried. "It all just _hurts_. It wont go away..."

Duke knew that she was at the house, had encouraged her to take time off after John's suicide, but he never would have let her stay here alone if he realized just how much the situation was affecting her. He got her message, and he could tell in her voice that something was wrong. Right now, he was thinking that if that son of a bitch Hagan hadn't succeeded in the suicide, he would have killed the damn bastard himself for taking away his daughter's sense of safety in her own lab.

"C'mon, lets go inside," he said.

He helped her up and she covered her face, sobbing and hyperventilating as he led her back into the house. She somehow managed to contain the clutter to her bedroom, with her dirty clothes piled up, the bed unmade, the drapes closed, her personal items all over the dresser in a disorderly fashion. She hasn't been eating much, the groceries in the fridge uncooked and barely touched.

And to think if she hadn't broken down enough to call him, she would have been spiraling in this place by herself for a _month_. God only knew how she would be by then. He's never seen Calleigh like this before, and it was scaring him.

"Calleigh..."

"I dont want to talk right now," she hiccupped and sobbed.

"You need to," he urged as they sat on the couch. He held her close as she cried into his shoulder. "Shh..."

"Everything is so wrong now," she cried. "I don't know if I want to go back. I-I cant go back."

"No, don't talk like that," Duke said firmly. "No daughter of mine is going to give up."

"I have lost all control," she lamented.

"Then you take it back."

"It's more than that," she sniffled, shaking her head. "It just feels like I keep losing people...first Tim, then John and now-"

She stopped before she said Eric's name. She couldn't talk about it at all because it just made the ache worse, and she just wanted to go to bed. Her heart felt trampled upon, and she felt completely worthless. She has never felt worthless in her life, and she was angry; angry at herself, and at the fact that she has let a _man_-no, _men_-enter into her life, make her let her guard down, and then leave her out in the cold. That's what she felt...cold and it was to the bone and she shivered.

"These hurts will heal, Lambchop," her father assured her softly and she nodded as she got up and slowly headed to her bedroom.

Duke sighed. "Weeping may endureth through the night..."

She stopped and she turned to look at him, and she grinned a bit.

"But joy will cometh in the morning," she finished quietly, tearfully before she retreated to her bedroom and closed the door softly.

She wished desperately that she could believe that.


	3. Three

_They're slowly climbing the mountain...they'll get there soon. Patience. Enjoy._

* * *

Meet Me At the House on Carillon Beach

Three

_2006_

The third summer, Eric revealed a secret to Calleigh that would change everything.

They were sitting on a bench in the marina, sharing an ice cream, talking and laughing, feeling really, genuinely good for the first time since Marisol's death. Her head was rested on his shoulder as she sat Indian style on the bench, digging her spoon into the quickly dwindling single scoop of Mississippi Mud ice cream. She could tell that Eric was letting her enjoy it a little more because he was only eating small spoonfuls every now and then. He wasn't a big ice cream eater, so really he'd bought the ice cream for her.

"You've been so quiet," she observed as she lifted her head and looked at him.

He sighed as he looked down at his hands, then her.

"Cal, I have to tell you something," he sighed.

"What? What is it?"

O-o-O

When Calleigh arrived, Eric had already been at the house for a couple of days.

It was the first time Eric beat her to the house.

She walked in and she saw him in the hallway, taking some sheets out of the washer and shoving them into the dryer. The sight amused her, and she let out a giggle and he looked up, surprised to see her there at first, then he grinned.

"Hey," he said. "What are you giggling about?"

She laughed as she walked up to him. "You. I had no idea you were a domestic, Eric."

"I'm only doing this for you," he chuckled. "Because I know how much you appreciate clean sheets."

"Well that's a relief," she mused. "A man who cares about the state of my sheets...you didnt have to do this..."

"Well you said you'd be getting here late, so I didn't want you to worry about the sheets," he said.

She smiled that gorgeous smile of hers, and he was glad to see it. After everything that's happened, it was good to see her smile. Her smile gave him hope that life actually does go on.

It was a month after Marisol's death, two days since he and Horatio returned from Rio de Janeiro. He was told to lay low for a week or two, because they've pissed off a lot of people, a lot of the _wrong_ people, and of course he didn't want draw any more attention to himself or the lab. He took time off gladly, and he figured that the safest place he could go was to the house, because who the _hell_ would possibly find him there?

He used the key Calleigh gave him a year ago for the first time.

When he walked into the dark house, he thought about the last time, when Calleigh had been here, how he treated her and how he left her alone in her time of need. He hated himself for that, and he had a hard time forgiving himself for that. Calleigh, being the sweetheart she was, forgave him after he apologized profusely to her. But even her forgiveness couldn't assuage his guilt, especially the guilt that hit him when he walked into the dark house. He could see the shadows of her grief intermingling with his in every corner, he could almost hear the ghosts of her pained sadness and he felt the regret all over again.

_Of course _she meant a lot to him. She meant _everything _to him.

And he'd been a prick, nearly throwing away their friendship.

Still, she forgave him, and they mended the wounds together.

They were friends again, and she has been a Godsend to him, especially with everything that happened with Marisol. She was endlessly optimistic, short _without_ heels, and joyful, even bubbly, yet she was a pillar of strength, and she has been there like no one else has.

She was still in her clothes from the drive, and she wanted to change.

She pushed her hair behind her ears as she headed to her room. "I'm going to go put my stuff in my room and change."

"Okay," he said. "But don't take too long, 'cause were going out to eat."

She peeked around the corner from her room, her eyebrows lifted. "Are you buying?"

Eric chuckled. "Yeah, I'm buying."

"Good," she smiled then she went back into her room and closed the door softly.

When she emerged a few minutes later dressed in a turquoise blue halter dress that flowed to her feet and her hair wavy and flowing all around her face, she looked something like..._hot_. He then flashed back to her in the red bikini three years ago and he swallowed thickly.

_Having _those _thoughts about her again, are we? _he thought to himself. _Don't fuck this up again like last time. She's here, you're here, you've done this before, you can handle it..._

"Eric?" She inquired, concern on her face.

Her voice broke his thoughts and he blinked a few times.

"Sorry," he said as he headed to his room. "Let me put on a fresh shirt then we can go."

Calleigh nodded.

After he changed, he took her to Lafayette's, a Cajun restaurant on the marina, knowing that it would please her and remind her of home. Please her it had, the reaction on her face priceless. Her eyes lit up and she smiled excitedly, immediately feeling like she was back in her home town, Darnell.

The smell, the music, and the atmosphere reminded her of the diner that she and her dad would frequent, and she really appreciated that Eric took her to a place he knew she'd like. It was thoughtful of him, and she was glad to have this side of Eric back. He was considerate, charming, funny, and sweet to her again.

When she'd returned to work, she was angry at him for a bit, but it didn't last long because the one good thing out of that painful rough spot was the fact that she knew she and Eric had something _real_. They had a true friendship and that gave them the courage and the ability to work through it together. He was her lifeline when everything else seemed to fall apart, and God knew that she couldn't lose that because she wanted to be his.

Being here with him now felt _good_, even with the tragic event of Marisol's death still fresh.

"I miss her," Eric said softly and Calleigh took his hands in hers, lacing their fingers together.

"I know," she sympathized. "She was so strong..."

He nodded his agreement then he grinned a little. "You know, you and Mari would have been good friends, if the circumstances were different. She would have liked you a lot."

She smiled.

Their drinks came and Calleigh lifted her glass.

"To Marisol," she said softly.

"To Mari."

They gently touched their glasses together.

Eric couldn't take his eyes off of her, and try as he might, he couldn't focus on anything else. Unfortunately for Calleigh, she had his complete, undivided attention. She looked incredible, gorgeous and he absolutely hated himself because he knew that he was heading into dangerous territory. The electricity that coursed through his body when she'd joined their fingers...even though her gesture had been completely platonic, he still felt the way his heart skipped a beat and how he felt every nerve ending come alive. And she was just _so_ beautiful...the way she talked animatedly, her accent just a little thicker, her voice sweeter, and that smile...she was happy, and he found himself caught between heaven and hell.

Norah Jones' "Dont Know Why" began to resound from the piano on stage, and Calleigh's eyes lit up.

"I love this song," she smiled.

He betrayed himself.

"You wanna dance?"

Calleigh smiled wider, surprised at his gesture.

_What are you doing, Calleigh? _she thought to herself. _Why are you digging a deeper hole? But maybe Eric needs a distraction...I can see the pain in his eyes whenever he talks about Marisol. That's why he came here, right? Why I came here? There isn't anyone or anything here to hold us back, of use it against us. Just us._

"Okay," she consented and she took his hand when he offered it.

Eric led her out on the dance floor, joining other couples. They both stood there for a moment, looking into each others eyes, trusting each other enough to get closer and then before they knew it, they were holding each other close as they swayed to the lull of the piano.

His hands traveled to her lower back and she wrapped one arm around his neck and the other around his waist as she rested her head onto his shoulder.

Calleigh inhaled slowly, taking in his scent; God, he smelled _so_ good and she loved the way his arms wrapped around her. She felt so safe, warm, and she was a little scared, but only because she never felt more sure about anything in her life. She fit so well with him, even with her short stature, and she grinned a bit. Then a deep frown set in.

_When the hell did Eric turn into _this _man? And when did he become so...sexy and handsome? We work together, and there's a line, but that line is erasing. He's absolutely wonderful. Wait...no, he doesn't have an ulterior motive. He's different now, he's real, and this is real._

She didn't know that she was driving him crazy.

The light, sweet fruity smell of her hair was dancing around him, and the smell of her perfume and the scent of her soap was enough to dizzy him. The feeling of her head resting against his shoulder had him soaring. She trusted him, and it was obvious that she felt comfortable enough to do that. He was glad that she felt comfortable and she was taking his mind off of everything that happened with Marisol. He just wanted to forget for a little while. There was no place hed rather be than with Calleigh.

She looked up at him, her green eyes shining, and his breath was taken away.

_Jesus she's gorgeous, _he thought to himself. _So gorgeous. Wow. I've never really seen her as a...woman. I mean, I know she's a woma, but...she was always the woman that's my coworker, but here, she's pure Calleigh and damn is she the most beautiful woman here._

It is near the end of the song and he gently pulled away from her and he spun her slowly before he brought her back to him, smiling.

The song ended and she clapped for the pianist before they headed back to their table.

"Thank you," she said. "That was fun. Youre a good dancer."

"Thanks," he chuckled. "So are you."

She blushed a little.

"You know I didn't realize how much I actually missed being here," he said. "I um...I missed you, which is weird because I work with you everyday, but it's different, here, you know?"

"Yeah," she said softly. "We can be ourselves here," she sighed wistfully. "We can have everything here."

Calleigh felt the blush drain from her face at the realization of what she'd just said, and she looked at Eric, a little panicked, and now wanted to rephrase her statement.

"Oh God," she sighed angrily. "Dammit...I-I didn't mean anything...I mean, I meant it, but...shit..."

"Calleigh, it's okay," he said.

She got up and she rushed out of the restaurant.

Eric went after her.

She was quick, already across the street and headed down the pier to the car.

"Calleigh," he called to her as he caught up to her. "Wait a minute..."

She didn't turn to him, she kept walking and he gently caught her arm and turned her around.

"What happened?" He asked. "Why'd you run away like that?"

She shook her head.

"Eric, I'm sorry," she said, her voice quavering a bit. "I-I...God, I just-"

Their worlds nearly imploded as the feeling of their lips meeting caught up with them. Eric interrupted her, and on an impulse he honestly tried to control, he kissed her perfect, supple lips.

It took her a moment to get over the initial shock of it, but once she did, she reciprocated, kissing him back in kind and wrapping her arms around his neck. He wrapped his arms around her lithe body and drew her in closer as he deepened the kiss.

Calleigh loved the way Eric's lips felt against hers. He kissed her with strength but mostly with affection and reverence almost, savoring the moment. She was scared and excited at the same time and she pressed her body against his, making him groan.

There were a million reasons for them to stop, and a billion reasons not to.

They gently broke the kiss finally, and Calleigh licked her lips, noticing that hers were tender and swollen. He caressed her cheek, his thumb softly caressing over her thoroughly kissed lips.

She smiled and closed her eyes when he caressed her cheek.

He grinned and took her hand, leading her back to the restaurant.

O-o-O

They entered the house through the back door, both of them laughing and giddy, stealing kisses from each other as Calleigh took his hand and they went and sat on the couch, feeling full and a little sleepy. She looked at him, smiling.

"Thank you for dinner," she said softly. "I had a really good time."

"Good," he said as he brought her hand up and kissed it. "I had a good time too."

Calleigh stifled a yawn and he chuckled.

"Hey, I saw that," he teased. "You're tired already? The night is young..."

She laughed heartily and rested her head onto his shoulder.

"That drink I had made me a little tipsy I'm afraid, and in turn it makes me very tired," she drawled before she leaned in and kissed his cheek. "Goodnight."

She stood up, and she wavered a bit, and he put his hands on her hips to steady her, her ass squarely within his range of view, and he cursed himself. She wavered again and she collapsed across his lap, laughing and he put his hand on her abdomen and his arm was around her shoulders and he grinned at her.

"Are you sure youre just tipsy?" He asked.

"Mmhm," she giggled as she rested her head on his shoulder, burrowing into his neck. "Okay...one more time-"

"Nope, I'll...carry you," he sighed.

He stood up and then he scooped her up with ease, and she lazily wrapped her arms around his neck.

Eric carried her down the hallway and into her bedroom, carefully and gently depositing her onto her bed. She sighed comfortably as she rested into the pillows, grinning a bit.

"Thank you," she said drowsily. "Goodnight."

He covered her with the blanket at the end of her bed.

"Night, Calleigh."

She turned onto her side and burrowed into the pillows and she finally began to drift off to sleep.

She looked breathtaking, and he was wondering where all of his feelings were coming from. They've been friends for so long, when did it turn into _this_? Him feeling beyond attracted to her and finding himself actually _wanting_ her? He discovered that she was becoming so much more to him than just a coworker, more than just a best friend. Calleigh was becoming the sum of what he has always wanted in a woman, a friend, a partner...a future.

He quickly shook his head of that thought, and he turned the lamp off and he closed the door softly.

Several hours later, Calleigh woke up with a bit of a headache, and she groaned and sat up slowly. She got out of bed slowly, then she fished out a tank top and a pair of cotton pajama pants and changed before she groaned again as she trudged out of her room to go in search of some Tylenol or some Ibuprofen for her throbbing, buzzing head. She first went to the bathroom and she brushed her teeth, then she opened up the medicine cabinet and she found some extra strength Tylenol and she took a couple and washed the pills down with some water.

She rubbed her hand over her face then she turned off the light and headed back to her room. She stopped when she saw the light on in Eric's room, the door slightly ajar. She bit her lip, wondering if she should knock or just go back to bed.

She stepped toward the door a bit, and just before she could knock, the door opened, startling her a bit.

"Hey," he said, looking at her with concern. "You okay?"

"Yeah," she grinned, then furrowed her eyebrows. "I got a headache, and I look hideous..."

"That's impossible," he chuckled.

Calleighs hair was tussled, and her cheeks were flushed. Her eyes were drowsy, but still bright somehow.

"So," she sighed. "What's wrong with you?"

"Uh, I cant sleep," he said.

She came closer to him and put her hands on his chest. "Have you been sleeping lately?"

"Off and on," he confessed. "I've just been waiting for everything to slow down...

She took his hand in hers. "Well, the wait is over. You have gone above and beyond...you don't have to set up sentry anymore."

With that, she led him to her bedroom and she turned down the bed. Eric's heart was pounding in his chest. Was this really happening? No, it wasn't going to be _that_, he knew. It was just the fact that she was letting her guard down, being open and inviting to him. Granted, thoughts of making love to her were running through his mind because he'd been traveling down that road of feeling that way about her for so long, but he actually preferred the intimacy of their friendship over anything physical, which was a relief to him. It relieved him to know that he actually had the heart to be a part of something worth fighting for. He couldn't walk away from her because she wouldnt let him, he couldn't treat her like any other girl that had been in his life because she wasn't any other girl. She was a woman, Calleigh, and she deserved the best from him, and dammit was he going to give her that.

She got into bed and smiled. "Dont be shy."

He smirked. "Me? Shy?"

He went around the other side and got in.

Calleigh scooted over close to him and rested her head onto his shoulder and after a moment, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

They eventually settled more into bed and went to sleep, and Eric held Calleigh close and nothing had ever felt more right in his life.

O-o-O

The next day, they slept in a long time. Eric woke up, and he saw that the curtains were open. He turned onto his back and rubbed his eyes before he reached over to wake Calleigh.

"Cal..."

He encountered empty space, and he grinned a bit. He should have known she'd be up before him.

It was a little after ten o'clock, and he sat up and threw the covers off of him and got out of bed. He went over to the window and looked outside. It was a little over cast, but still nice and the wind was blowing gently. He sighed and he sat down on the bed again, and he saw a note.

_Hey, I went out for a run. I should be back in an hour or so._

He ran his hand through his hair before he got up exited her bedroom.

He went to the bathroom and he saw that the door was closed. He tried to open the door, but it was locked, and he sighed as he headed to the master bedroom. He opened the door and he went over to the bedside table where Calleigh had told him where the key to the doors were. He opened up the top drawer and found the key.

The door to the bathroom opened up and Calleigh stepped out, and he heard a gasp and looked over at the source of the sound.

"Eric!"

Calleigh was standing just outside of the master bathroom, a towel wrapped around her body, her wet, wavy hair flowed down one shoulder, and her skin was glistening with water droplets and she smelled fresh, soft.

He couldn't help but let his eyes wander.

_I should be walking out right now,_ Eric thought to himself. _Why am I still standing here, staring at her? It's not hard-shit, I had to say-no stop it, just walk. Out. Now. But sweet mother, she's-_

"CSI Delko!"

"What? I'm sorry," he said quickly.

"What are you doing?" She asked.

"The other bathroom is locked and I came to get the key," he explained. "I thought you were out, I honestly thought you were gone and I came in. I didn't hear you come back. Anyway, that was quick."

She rolled her eyes. "I've been back for an hour."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I swear, you sleep like a damn log...but that answered my question of if you slept good."

He chuckled a bit, then he cleared his throat and pointed toward the door. "I'm gonna-"

"Yeah," she finished for him.

Later on, once they both got dressed, they decided to hang around the house and Eric saw it as the perfect opportunity for them to listen to some music. He came into the living room with a box of CDs and set it onto the floor before sitting down on the pillows across from her.

He pushed the box toward her, and she picked out a few. After a moment, she furrowed her eyebrows, her eyes glistening with tears.

"Wait a minute," she said quietly. "Eric...these are Tim's CDs. What are you doing with them?"

"No one in his family wanted them," he explained. "His parents let me have them so..."

Calleigh tilted her head to the side.

"Are you sure you're going to be okay with this?" She asked. "I mean...this isn't going to...?"

"No," he assured her. "So...the Stones Greatest Hits or Depeche Mode?"

She laughed. "Neither."

She looked through the box a little more, and she found one that she wanted to hear.

"Tracy Chapman."

She took the CD out of the case and she put it into the CD player.

She pushed the seek button and found the song she was looking for. After a moment, "Fast Car" began to play, and she got up and she held her hand out.

He got up she took his hands and brought them around her waist, grinning, and then she wrapped her arms around his neck. They began to dance slowly, looking into each others eyes.

"I like dancing with you," she said softly.

"I like dancing with you too Calleigh," he grinned.

They were both unsure of what exactly was going on between them, but at the moment, they didn't want to ask or even think. They both just let go and danced together, Calleigh laughing when he picked her up and spun her around.

He set her down and she got on tiptoe and kissed him softly, then she pulled away and they both smiled.

Her heart was beating so fast, and she felt a little dizzy.

Eric leaned down and kissed her again, finding refuge in how incredible it felt kissing her.

He wasn't sure when exactly the pain of never seeing his sister again would go away, but he knew that in a way, Marisol was still protecting him, looking after him because had it not been for everything that had happened, he probably wouldn't have come back to the house, and neither would Calleigh. He would have never gotten the courage to allow his feelings for Calleigh to bloom.

She pulled away gently, inhaling deeply and he combed his fingers through her hair.

"Now I _really_ like dancing with you," he said and she blushed and giggled.

Calleigh wrapped her arms around his waist, hugging him as she rested her head on his chest and in that moment, absolutely everything was perfect.

O-o-O

"You've been so quiet."

After they both fell asleep on the couch last night, they both woke up stiff, causing them to feel quite exhausted, even after a night's sleep. They decided to just lounge around for the morning and she treated him to a breakfast of biscuits and gravy, but only because, he later found, that it was her favorite not that she was doing anything special for him.

When late afternoon rolled around, they became restless and they went to the marina, where she had the sudden craving for Mississippi Mud.

Calleigh was pretty sure that things were going alright, until Eric became thoughtful, leaving her to ramble on and on. Now though, she could feel the shift in his mood and the mood around them.

"Cal, I have to tell you something."

"What? What is it?"

Eric felt his heart pounding in his chest, and the nervousness he felt was almost overwhelming, making him want to lie to her and avoid telling her altogether, but he didn't want to lie to her, and he knew that if he didn't tell her what was going on inside him now, he never would, and none of it would ever be real.

He knew what he wanted to say, but he couldnt put the words together the way he wanted. He knew that she was getting a little impatient by the way her eyes got wider, and how she was looking at him expectantly. It didn't help anything that the strap to her dress had fallen off of her shoulder, and her hair was flowing over her other shoulder, a few strands being blown by the breeze.

"I think...I think that I love you," Calleigh.

She sat back, the wind knocked out of her, and she felt queasy suddenly.

"What?"

"I think that I-"

"No," she interrupted. "Y-you can't, Eric."

"Don't tell me what I can and cannot feel," he said more harshly to her than he intended.

She felt the tears pool in her eyes and she shook her head.

"You don't love me," she said, her voice cracking. "I know that we've both crossed some lines this time, but...we can't. You just buried your sister, and-"

"Marisol's death has nothing to do with how I feel about you," he argued. "This is about you and me."

She set the ice cream cup aside and then she got up and began to walk away from him.

"Why are you running?" He asked, going after her again. "Why are you trying to run away from me?"

"Because this is crazy," she said, tears falling down her face. "I mean...this isnt going to work. I'm sorry if I made you feel that way. I mean, I'm just so confused. The last couple of days have been great and maybe we got carried away..."

"You think you led me on?" He asked.

Calleigh looked at him guiltily and he chuckled bitterly.

"You are unbelievable," he said.

"Well I don't know any other way to explain this," she argued.

"What the hell are you afraid of?" He asked.

"It's not about me," she insisted. "It's about our careers, it's about work...besides, I'm not even sure I can believe you."

"What do you mean by that?" He asked.

"C'mon, Eric," she sighed. "How do you know that it's love you're feeling when the longest relationship you've had was a couple of months? Old habits die hard..."

He frowned at her then. "You're right about that because I could talk about your relationships all day. Are you sure you want to go down that road?"

"Oh you go to hell!"

She began to walk away from him, but he caught her arm and she wrenched herself away, glaring at him.

"What the hell are we doing?" He asked, calmer now. "Calleigh...why aren't you trusting me about this? Do you honestly think I would tell you something like that and then screw it up?"

She shook her head. "I just can't."

"Can't, or won't?" He asked.

Calleigh swallowed thickly and she sniffled.

"Fine," he said angrily. "Forget I ever said anything. Let's just forget it."

"Fine," she said stubbornly. "I want to go back to the house."

He took the keys out of his pocket and took his key off the ring before he handed them to her.

"I'm going to stay out here a while," he said, his anger fading away into sadness.

"How are you going to get back?"

"Don't worry about it," he said.

She nodded slightly then she turned and walked away.

Calleigh knew that she couldn't forget what he said. It was out there, Eric couldn't take his words back, although she was sure that he wished he could.

On the way to the car, Calleigh was convinced that she'd done the right thing for them.

But by the time she got back to the house, she was in tears because she had faced a truth that she was running away from: she was absolutely sure, without a doubt, that she loved Eric. In that moment, she wanted to drive back and tell him so, but then her logic won over her heart and she stayed.

By the time Eric made his way back to the house, it was dark and quiet, as it had been the first day he arrived. His heart fell that much further into sadness at the thought that he has forever changed their friendship. He went to Calleigh's bedroom, only to find that it was completely empty, the bed stripped and everything in its place. He sighed and he went over and sat on the bed, and for the first time in a very long time, he cried. Everything overwhelmed him all at once, and the only person that could help him through was Calleigh, and she was gone, and it only reinforced his earlier notion that with her, he would never have a chance.


	4. Four: Part A

_This one's a two parter...Part A and Part B. Part A: EC angst and fury. Part B: EC lovin' and fluff. Enjoy._

* * *

Meet Me At the House on Carillon Beach

Four: Part A

_2008_

The fourth summer, Eric told Calleigh that he loved her again.

She smiled, blushing as she looked into the fire he'd made on the beach, digging her toes into the cool sand.

She looked over to him, her hair flowing over her shoulders, and she let go of the oversized sweater she was holding tightly to her petite body and she caressed his cheek with one hand and the other rested upon his thigh.

"Eric..."

O-o-O

It was the first summer they drove to Carillon Beach together. They made the trip in his car, and he'd been the perfect gentleman about Calleigh changing the presets on his radio on the ride over with the promise that she'd change them back on the way home at the week's end. Otherwise, it was a pleasant ride, both of them just talking.

The house smelled clean when they walked in; in fact, it was _pristine_, and Eric became curious.

"I told my dad that we were coming to the house," Calleigh explained. "He sent a cleaning lady in here."

"Well he sure got his money's worth," Eric chuckled as he went back to the car to bring in their bags.

He brought in their bags and then they headed to the bedrooms.

As usual, she took the bedroom on the right, next to the bathroom and he took the one across the hall from her. Even though two years have gone by since they've returned, things were pretty much the same, especially the sleeping arrangements. It was both the usual and unusual because neither of them really knew where the line fell between them now, as the memories of the last time flooded back. The final night she was there; the night Eric confessed that he loved her.

The awkwardness of that entire situation hung in the air between them because it hadn't really been resolved, but that was the reason they came here. To have time to try and talk, really talk about all the things they would normally be so nervous and guarded to say because of work and their coworkers, and busy schedules...denial. What better place to hash out all of the pent up feelings and concerns than in a wonderful house on the beach? A house that held so much history, so much pain, so much happiness, and yet, it was also private, intimate, something that Eric and Calleigh could always have between them. It was almost sacred now, at the crux of their deep friendship.

Calleigh was getting settled, and Eric, perfectly happy to just dress out of his bags, went across the hall to her room, knocking on the doorframe. She turned to him, and she smiled, pushing her hair behind her ears. She looked nice, with a pair of light blue jeans and a red tank top with a white cardigan over it with matching flip flops. She was always so modest in her dress, with the exception of that damn red bikini she wore all those years ago. It amazed him that he _still_ thought about her in that thing...prancing around, and that sarong that covered her just barely, but not enough...but nowadays, he found himself feeling so guilty and perverse for thinking about her in that way. He barely entertained those thoughts anymore because Calleigh had become something totally different and unexpected in his life in the last year, and he was sure of their friendship, but anything else...it all just felt so _wrong_.

"You get settled?"

"Yeah," he chuckled and she smiled wider.

"What?"

"Nothing," he mused, crossing his arms over his chest. "It's just uh, that hospitality thing you do...you should throw more parties at your house if you like playing hostess."

She rolled her eyes. "It's a habit...is it a bad habit?"

"No, of course not," he grinned. "It's just funny to me because I think I'm at the point now where I just make myself at home."

She put her hands on her hips. "Well it only took you four years..."

They both chuckled.

Once Calleigh finished putting her things away, they went to the kitchen.

"Goodness, I'm starving," she complained and she opened up the fridge and frowned. "Daddy hired a cleaning lady, you'd think he'd spring to fill up the fridge."

Eric grinned. "So she shoots like a Marine Black Ops sniper, analyzes bullets for a living, and yet she's still a spoiled daddy's girl..."

She shrugged. "So sue me."

"Why don't we go out somewhere to eat and then pick up some groceries on the way back?"

"That is an excellent idea," she said. "What are you in the mood for?"

_You_.

"Burgers?" He asked.

"Hot dogs," she suggested. "And I'm talking about the big ones with the works that they sell down by the Marina."

"Okay, to the Marina it is," he said.

They went down to the Marina and they found a patio diner that sold the foot long hot dogs Calleigh wanted. She offered to pay this time, but Eric wouldn't hear of it, and he paid for them. He'd never seen Calleigh so excited over a hot dog, and he figured that it must have been on her mind for a while now for her to want one so badly.

When the cook presented her footlong, she took it with a grateful smile on her face. A Coney dog topped with thick meaty chili, relish, mustard, onions, cheddar cheese, and tabasco sauce with an order or fries and an iced tea. She sat down at the wooden picnic table with Eric, looking upon her hot dog as if looking at a precious, precious child.

"Hello beautiful," she said before she picked it up and took a big sloppy bite, giggling as the toppings fell into the container.

Eric laughed as she blushed, good humored about it and wiped her mouth with her napkin.

"Okay, that was a perfect opportunity for a blackmail picture," he chuckled. "Prim and proper Calleigh Duquesne stuffing her face."

"Prim and proper ladies have to eat too," she laughed. "Besides, this shouldn't shock you...remember the turkey leg?"

He nodded, sighing. "Yeah, I remember the turkey leg..."

"You shall never speak of that to anyone," she warned playfully.

"Scout's honor," he teased.

She laughed and then she picked up a fry and bit into it as she looked out at the ocean before them.

"Gosh, I've missed this so much," she sighed. "I mean, not the ocean necessarily, but just kind of slowing down..."

"I know," Eric agreed. "It's good we came back here."

Calleigh resorted to eating utensils to eat the rest of her hot dog because it was just too messy for her and even though she was playful earlier, she decided that she didn't want to walk around with stains on her clothes.

"So I got a call from H," Eric began tentatively. "He said that Rossi rolled over, made a deal on the murders."

"Well that's not surprising," she sighed as she sipped at her tea.

"He also said that Stetler said you're due for a proficiency," he said and she looked at him.

"Okay."

"Calleigh-"

"Eric, it's okay," she assured him. "Look...we both know how to do our jobs. It doesn't matter what anyone else says. What matters is that we know within ourselves that we know what we're doing, everyday, by the book."

He sighed. "I just...I'm sorry for putting you in that position."

"You didn't," she grinned softly. "I chose to stand up for you. I chose to do that because I know you, I know how hard you've been working and the last thing I want for you to deal with is a road block like that...it just wouldn't be fair, Eric, and you and I both know that Stetler would love nothing more than to see you fail."

He conceded the point.

Rick Stetler was the worst kind of asshole, and after the year Eric has had, he agreed with Calleigh that he should continue focusing on moving forward, not backward. He hated that her logic has won out over his need to protect her. She was protecting him and he appreciated that because he didn't really trust anyone else to have his back like Calleigh did. Compared to Ryan and Natalia, and even Horatio, his own brother-in-law, Calleigh held the rank of most important in his life, second to his immediate family, of course. Family meant everything to him, but Calleigh was running in close second for him.

"You're right," he said finally. "Thank you, Calleigh. You're amazing."

She reached her hand across the table and placed it over his, grinning and blushing at his compliment.

"You are too."

The feelings that Eric invoked within her were so strong; she was aware that even though they were best friends, there had always been a something bubbling just under the surface of that deep friendship. The last time they were here together, she gave in, just letting herself feel and explore the depth of her affection that she felt for him. She decided then that yes, she did love him. She _loved_ him, more than she was ready to admit, more than she could be ready for. After that summer, everything changed, as she knew it would.

Then Eric had gotten shot, technically died for eleven minutes and came back, and when he returned to work, he was different, even more different than he'd been when they were together. Everything took on a new importance to him, a new meaning, and she wasn't sure of where they stood. He told her out loud how he felt about her, and she was sure that he probably felt that emotion even deeper now.

She gently pulled her hand away.

They finished eating dinner then Eric cleared the table.

Calleigh was so full, and she groaned.

"Regretting it?" Eric asked.

"No," she said pridefully. "I'm just stuffed. I don't want to go to the store."

"We have to," he chuckled. "Unless you want to go out in the morning."

"Eric, I probably won't be eating for the next three days," she complained. "God, that was a lot of food..." She paused and held her hand out. "Help...I've eaten and I can't get up."

"You're so pitiful," he teased as he gently helped her up. "Walk it off."

"Unh," she groaned.

They made it to his car and then they found that they had to travel quite aways to the nearest grocery store. They picked up enough groceries for the week, then they headed back to the house.

"Why'd you buy stuff for s'mores?" She asked.

"Had a taste for it," he shrugged. "And I know you like chocolate."

"Yeah, but we're going to have to put them in the microwave," she chuckled.

"Not necessarily," he smirked. "I was in Cub Scouts briefly, I know how to make a fire."

She began to laugh. "I thought you were joking earlier...you were really a Cub Scout?"

"When I was five or six," he smiled. "My mom has a picture of me...I didn't look particularly happy, whatever I was doing."

"Aw," she giggled.

"My dad finally let me quit so I could play baseball down the street with my friends," he corrected. "He didn't like for us to be in the house all day."

"Yeah, we were always outside too," Calleigh grinned. "My daddy always sent us out all day long with enough cash to get some lunch and drinks. As long as we were back by dinner, he didn't really care what we did."

"You and your sister?"

"Yeah," she smiled. "My sister and I don't get along...in fact, we've never gotten along. But it all didn't come to blows until we were headed off to college."

"What happened?" He asked. "I mean, if you don't mind talking about it."

She shrugged as she put the fruit into the fridge.

"I don't know," she sighed. "I guess we just had different ideas about life...she dropped out of college in the first semester, decided to travel...she's a free spirit like my mom."

"Do you miss her?" Eric asked.

"I do," she said quietly. "But nothing I say is going to make her get along with me, or come home."

Obviously, the relationship Calleigh had with her sister had been part of the reason why she always put her walls up. It was rare that Calleigh talked about her family; he already knew that when it came to her family, or anything personal really, she held her cards close to her vest. That was understandable because she always considered herself separate from what was going on within her family. She was the outcast, the normal one, the focused one, and that set her apart. He couldn't imagine how she must have felt growing up. He figured that she probably raised herself.

It was the polar opposite of his family. Despite having four children, his parents never excluded them, or singled them out. They were all treated fairly. What happened to one sibling, happened to all of them, and sometimes that even extended to punishments. His mother never played favorites, although Natasha, his second oldest sister, would beg to differ. There was never a moment when Eric felt excluded or abandoned. There was always someone there.

He supposed that Calleigh's childhood was the reason why she always remained so tightly wound, why she kept everything bottled inside her. Maintaining relationships was hard for her. He appreciated the fact that she was open about this with him, that she didn't get steely and tense. He could see the emotion in her face as she thought deeper about the subject.

He reached out a hand and caressed her cheek, and without thinking, without hesitation, she tilted her cheek into his warm palm.

Eric felt her soft skin, gently caressed his thumb over Calleigh's cheek bone; she closed her eyes and placed her hand over his. She was so beautiful, so _pretty_ right now as she was standing; Her green eyes were bright and glistening with tears they both knew that she wasn't going to shed, and a deep crimson blush in her cheeks from the contact. He didn't know that his touch was making her melt on the inside, that she felt weak and that her head was spinning with dizziness.

Or maybe he did because he was gently coming close to her. Her eyes were closed, but she could feel the heated force that was his body on approach to hers. She opened her eyes right at the moment his lips made contact with hers. There was a magnificent tingling in her lips and she closed her eyes again. He kissed her before, damn near made out with her, and yet, after two years, the feeling was no less exciting, still so new.

Calleigh pulled away abruptly, licking her lips, intense passion surging through her veins and she needed to stop.

"Eric," she said in barely above a whisper. "W-we have to talk...we came here so we could talk and-"

"Right," he agreed. "You're-"

"I don't want to talk," she interrupted.

She kissed him again, this time wrapping her arms around his neck. He immediately wrapped his arms around her lithe body and brought her even closer, deepening the kiss. She felt as though her body had been set on fire, and she moaned into his mouth as he pressed her against the fridge. He felt electric arousal traveling throughout his body as he felt her curves, felt her breasts pressing up against his chest.

He broke the kiss and moved to kiss her neck and she moaned softly again, gripping his shirt collar. She caressed her hands down his chest and then trembling fingers began to fumble with buttons. His hands gripped her hips as he pressed one last kiss to her neck before she crashed her lips into his.

She finally managed to get one button on his shirt opened and then she unbuttoned the second one with ease.

His heart was pounding in his chest, and his internal voice was screaming at him to stop while he was ahead. Still, despite his own protests, his hands were persistent; sliding under her blouse and caressing over her skin.

This had to stop.

Calleigh was getting lost in all of the sensations, floating even, and then she crashed and burned when suddenly, the feeling was gone, and all she felt was cool air instead of a man's heavy, warm body against hers.

She opened her eyes and looked at him with confusion.

"What's the matter?"

"I-I can't do this to you," he said.

"What are you talking about?" She asked.

"Calleigh," he sighed. "I don't know about this...us. So much has changed, and we've been up and down...I don't know anymore."

She crossed her arms over her chest. "Fine."

She began to head to her bedroom but he stopped her.

"Don't walk away from me on this again," he said.

She turned to him angrily. "Forget it, Eric. I-I knew that this was a mistake."

"What the hell do you want from me?" He asked. "'Cause if we're not going to talk, then what are we here for?"

"Just leave me alone," she huffed. "I've all but _thrown_ myself at you and-"

"What do you want me to do? Treat you like the other assholes you've dated?"

"Don't throw my relationships in my face!"

"I'm going to because even though you won't admit it, you're afraid," he said. "You're afraid and it's keeping you from dealing with whatever it is that's making you so insecure."

"You **do not** get to analyze me!" She yelled, tears in her eyes. "And I am _not_ insecure!"

"I've been working with you for seven years, Calleigh and I've watched you date theoe guys that just walked all over you, abused your trust, lied to you...used your body-"

"Stop it!"

"Especially Jake," he said, this time with more bitterness. "He's mistreated you over and over when you and I both know that you deserve better. Even your own father has taken-"

"Don't you **dare** bring my father into this!" She cried. "Don't you dare lump my father in with my relationships. My daddy is a good man..."

"But his drinking hurts you," Eric said, his voice calmer now. "I know it does."

"That's none of your damn business," Calleigh hissed. "And Jake and the other men that have been in my life haven't done anything that I didn't let them do...I _let_ them do the things they did to me. I'm not some victim, I'm not naive..."

"I'm not saying that you are," he said. "I'm just saying that I took a risk, telling you how I felt about you the last time, and you ran away. You ran away from me, from us. I don't know if I can trust you...would you honestly say that you'd still be here in the morning if we slept together now?"

"That is _not_ fair, Eric!"

"You know that you wouldn't, Calleigh!"

"Like you're so goddamn noble!" She yelled. "I wouldn't even call what you had relationships. And you were proud of leaving _before _the first ray of fucking sunshine!"

"People change, Calleigh!" He yelled, becoming more and more furious with her. "I'm not proud of how I used to be. I'm not proud of that part of my life because it didn't make me happy, and I was an asshole. I admit that, have admitted it and did something to change it. Of two things I'm sure: one, I've dated enough bad women to know when I've found a good one, and two, I will _not_ let you make me pay for another man's mistakes because you can't deal with your fears."

"Fuck you!" She hissed as she turned away from him.

"That's exactly what I'm talking about!" He called to her.

Calleigh stormed into her bedroom and she grabbed her bag and she began to throw everything into it sloppily, her chest growing tight with anxiety and her eyes stinging with tears she refused to shed in front of Eric just out of pride. Her heart was racing and her stomach was twisting with the truth Eric shoved down her throat. It hurt, it hurt real fucking bad, and she just needed to leave. She was afraid, afraid of everything, even Eric. She has never seen Eric this angry...with her.

He has really hit her where it hurts this time, regardless of his affections toward her, he put that aside and told her the truth like the friend he was and it hurt and it was out there and the ball was in her court now.

She quickly packed up the rest of her clothes that she'd put in the dresser and then she threw some things into her purse. It wasn't until she was near the front door, after ignoring Eric, that she realized that they'd come in his car and that unless she called a cab, she was stranded with him because he sure as hell wasn't going to drive her where she wanted to go. He was perfectly content to stick it out with her, match her stubbornness in the house with his own.

She called a cab and waited on the sidewalk, unwilling to wait inside.

Calleigh knew that she was breaking his heart once again. He's only broken her heart once before and he became a better friend. He _changed_. Changed for _her_.

Eric changed because he wanted her to know that he was a better man; a man that was willing to fight for her, willing to do anything for her...a man that was _in love_ with _her_.

Eric watched as the cab pulled up, and she stood up off of the curb. She picked up her bag and she opened the door and got in. He wasn't going to chase her because his heart knew that she was going to come back. And he was going to wait all night and all day the next day if he had to.

O-o-O

When Calleigh made it to her destination, she sat down heavily.

After a few minutes, the pain became too much and she finally just sobbed, completely defeated.

She realized that she may have ruined the best thing that could ever happen to the both of them...again.


	5. Four: Part B

_Here's part B of chapter 4...full of EC lovin' and fluff as promised, but it's a little longer than usual. Enjoy._

* * *

Meet Me At the House on Carillon Beach

Four: Part B

The pain was unbearable.

She was wallowing, suffering, drowning...Calleigh's heart was clenching, she was nauseated, she was becoming dizzy from her inability to breath normally due to her sobs that wracked her petite body. Her legs were like jell-o and she gripped the railing harder, looking over it's border and down into the ocean, her tears easily mingling into the salt water. She turned away and she sat down on the warped wood of the pier, drawing her knees up to her chest, tangling her fingers into her hair as she sobbed. She didn't care that people stared at her as they walked by because she had no right to any kind of dignity right now.

She couldn't go too far; in the cab, she needed some air and she told the driver to wait as she got out of the cab and headed to the pier. At first she just let a tear fall, but then the fit came full on, the dull ache turning into tormented pain as she swallowed her pride and allowed herself to muddle through hard truth, deal with her past, feeling the emotions that she'd been refusing to feel for so long. She was _terrified_ of this.

Absolutely _terrified_.

It scared her when she felt like this a few years ago after Tim and John died. Of course this was completely different, but even then, she couldn't _deal_. She'd had a good cry out, but she didn't actually _deal_ with the issues she had. She was always so well put together. Calleigh Duquesne never broke down, never let anything bother her. Perfect Calleigh. She kept her feelings and deepest secrets locked up within the recesses of her heart. She was wrapped so tightly, and now she was unraveling and she found that just when she thought she had so much control, she found that she had very little.

She felt _loss_.

She felt at a loss, she felt like she didn't really know who she was without her precious control.

Calleigh realized that she didn't want to go through this by herself anymore.

Couldn't.

O-o-O

Eric's stomach was twisting with worry over Calleigh. She hasn't really been gone that long, maybe two and a half hours, but it was late nonetheless. He paced a hole in the floor in the first few minutes after her departure from the house.

He hadn't meant to be so harsh, so cruel to her by forcing her to deal with things she was obviously not ready to deal with. But at the same time, he wanted her to feel a little of what he'd been feeling: loss, hurt, pain, confusion...just so she would _understand_ that what he felt for her wasn't a joke and that the admission to himself how in love he was with her was hard won through making himself open up, be honest with himself about everything that had been swirling around in his head even before his injury. The things he said to her were just a manifestation of the anger he'd been feeling toward her ever since he first told her that he was in love with her two years ago.

The first few weeks after his confession, he avoided her like the plague. He was pissed off that she didn't take him into consideration, that she didn't even want to let him in, trust him. It hurt him deeply, and he prayed to God some lonely nights to make the hurt go away, to force him to forget it and move on. He couldn't though because the damage had been done, the words in his heart had been said. He certainly couldn't un-say the words. It was frustrating because as time progressed, he only fell deeper in love with her, and it didn't make any sense.

Then the shooting happened and she'd been there for him while he was recovering, and she was covering him, protecting him fiercely and his feelings only intensified.

It was maddening.

It was going on three hours now, and he wanted to go after her, even though initially he resolved that he wouldn't, counting on the fact that she would come back.

Eric needed her to be alone for a bit, to feel, to seethe, or whatever she was doing at the moment until she realized that she didn't _have _to be alone, that she didn't have to try and carry the burdens she'd been carrying for so long by herself anymore.

He wanted her to be alone so that she would come back to him because she needed him.

She needed him, he needed her.

They needed _them_.

He looked at his watch again, as if looking at it every few minutes was going to make the night time hours go any faster. Even though he knew she needed this, he was still no less concerned, anxious. For some reason, he didn't think that she went some place that was well lit or public because Calleigh did ridiculous things like that sometimes...it was typical that she would retreat to some place where she could be quite vulnerable whenever she was dealing with something. It was typical and frightening. He didn't think that she was headed home, not in a cab, and he knew that she would be too prideful to call her father to come all the way out here just to pick her up. So she was still here, but where, he couldn't imagine.

The guilt that would consume him if something were to happen to her with all that they'd said to each other hanging between them.

Eric sighed and he took out his cell phone and called Calleigh.

When he got her voicemail, he snapped it shut harshly.

His heart was pounding in his chest and he decided to sit down.

The minutes ticked by as he stared straight ahead at a blank TV, his thoughts far from TV or anything else for that matter.

He was so wrapped up in cavernous silence, that the sound of the door unlocking, opening and closing jolted him out of his thoughts and he stood up.

Calleigh came into the house, setting her bag and her purse gingerly onto the floor. She was shivering; he didn't know how cool it had gotten outside, but her small body was shivering, begging for warmth, but he couldn't move. Neither of them could move for a moment as they looked at each other.

He could see the absolute misery on her face, the pain, the hurt and her green eyes were dull. His heart was beating so damn loud, he could hear the blood rushing in his ears. It was odd, even though her eyes were red from crying and her skin was pale from the cold, she was still so damn gorgeous.

Calleigh beheld a relieved Eric, and she saw the worry etched in his face, his beautiful face and his deep, wonderful brown eyes that she could stare in for all eternity.

She shivered again, feeling so cold, her teeth were even chattering and she couldn't say much of anything right now; she just wanted warmth and comfort and strength. Fresh, hot tears spilled from her eyes as her body trembled and all she could do was hold her arms out to him, like a child for a parent, a friend for a friend...

She inhaled deeply, but with great difficulty.

"Please..." She exhaled as a sob.

Eric rushed to her, immediately wrapping her into his arms and she held tightly to him, sobbing into his chest.

"Please tell me that everything's going to be okay..."

He kisses her forehead and rubs over her back to warm her. "Yeah, everything's going to be okay. We're going to be fine, Calleigh. It's okay."

He held her for a long while until her sobs quieted to hiccups and sniffles. The flush was back in her skin, and he felt that she was warm again, that she'd stopped shivering. He pulled away slightly and put his hands on her wet cheeks. Her eyes were down cast, and he gently caressed his thumbs over her cheeks.

"Look at me Calleigh," he said softly, and she did, with some hesitation. "You don't have to be ashamed, and you don't have to keep it all inside anymore."

She nodded and then she hugged him again, already missing the closeness.

He took her over to the couch and she sat down.

"Do you want something to drink?" He asked.

"Tea please," she said, scrubbing her hands over her cheeks.

Eric made her a cup of Earl Grey tea, hoping the warmth would soothe her nerves. He didn't deny it. She was a wreck, and he was a wreck because of it.

He gave her the tea and she took it gratefully and took a sip.

"Thank you," she said quietly.

He sat down next to her and he brought the throw blanked around her shoulders to warm her further. The depth of Eric's affections, his care for her almost made her cry again. He was a good, caring, compassionate man, and she felt terrible that she has been so cavalier with his emotions the past two years.

He didn't push her to talk, but she eventually did.

"I can't..." She trailed off, feeling the sting of more tears. "I don't...want to hold everything inside anymore, but it's all so difficult to talk about because I feel like it's pathetic and weak to dwell on things that have happened in the past."

"Sweetheart, it's not dwelling if you haven't dealt with it," he said softly. "And it's not pathetic or weak to try and understand why you feel the way you do about things that have happened in your life."

She looks down into her teacup.

"I've..." She felt so embarrassed. "I've been so..._sad_...and I hate it."

"Calleigh, it's perfectly okay to feel that way," he explained. "God...you've placed all these restrictions on yourself...you're so hard on yourself, Cal."

"I know," she sighed then she looked at him. "Can you...hold me? Please?"

Eric nodded. "Yeah."

She kicked off her flip flops and she tucked her feet under her as she rested her head onto Eric's chest. He first bundled her in the blanket before he wrapped his arms around her tightly.

Once she was situated, she began to talk some more, and he listened, quietly and carefully, wanting to understand her, wanting to know the source of her deep seated fear and pain. He wanted to know _everything_, every little hurt, every moment, every problem that led her to this point so that he could help her and offer his comfort and love to help heal those hurts.

She talked until she fell into a deep, exhausted sleep.

Eric gently and slowly maneuvered his way off the couch, careful not to disturb Calleigh while he did so. He went to her bedroom and he turned down the bedcovers before he went back to her and he gingerly scooped her up into his arms and she whimpered slightly in her sleep as she rested her head on his shoulder.

He carried her to her bedroom and he laid her gently onto her bed, and she barely moved a muscle. He covered her with the duvet and then he bent down and kissed her forehead.

"Good night, Calleigh."

O-o-O

Calleigh awakened to a soft, cool breeze caressing across her face. It caused her to stir and she sighed as she opened her eyes slightly, letting them adjust to the sunlight. She sits up slowly, combing her fingers through her hair. She rubbed her irritated eyes and then she looked at the clock. It was almost eleven and she rubbed over her face, which felt overly dry and grainy from her crying. She sighed again and discovered that she was still in her clothes from last night.

She could smell breakfast, but she didn't feel like eating anything.

With a groan, Calleigh got up out of bed and quickly changed into her pajamas before slinking back into bed. She felt completely drained and emotionally and mentally exhausted. She'd talked to Eric for hours, revealing the reasons behind her deepest fears. He was a good listener, and whenever she began to weep, he would hold her tighter and smooth over her hair.

He was such a comfort to her as she let the things she'd been holding on to for so long go.

Just as she was about to fall back asleep, there was a knock on the door and then it opened, and Eric stepped in, bearing breakfast for her. She sat up and she grinned slightly.

"I made you some breakfast," he said as he placed the tray onto her lap.

"That's sweet of you Eric," she began. "But I'm not hungry right now."

"Try and eat a little," he urges. "You need to eat."

She frowned a bit but she acquiesced and began to eat small bites of her eggs.

"How'd you sleep?" He asked.

"Pretty good," she said quietly, then she looked into his eyes. "Thank you Eric, for being there for me, for holding me...I needed that so much."

Eric grinned. "You're welcome."

The small bites of the very delicious eggs whetted her appetite and she ate more eagerly, which greatly pleased Eric.

Once she finished her breakfast, he took the tray and set it aside.

"Are you feeling better?" He asked, putting his hand on her knee.

She nodded. "Much."

"You up for a walk?"

Even though she was still very tired, she nodded anyway, knowing that a brisk walk would help to further relax her. She'd been walking around with frazzled nerves for so many weeks now that she almost forgot what it was like to just not worry.

She got out of bed and she pulled on her sweater and Eric took her hand and lead her outside.

Calleigh never let go of his hand as they took a long walk together on the beach.

God, she was so beautiful. It really hurt his heart to see her cry last night, to hear what she'd had to say...about her relationship with her family, how an incident with her mother had nearly broken her, how she always looked for things she'd lacked in unhealthy relationships...she went on and on, deeper and deeper into her heart. He was grateful for her honesty and he knew that she was equally invested in their developing relationship.

Calleigh was absolutely incredible, amazingly resilient, and he found himself falling that much harder for her. The urge to kiss her came over him, but he wasn't sure if she would appreciate it at the moment, she was still trying to sort through her emotions; he didn't want to push his luck with her because she meant to much to him to give her another reason, if any, to panic and run again.

She caressed her thumb over his knuckles and then she stepped in front of him.

She looked into his eyes, then she closed her eyes and brought his hand to her cheek, immediately tilting into it.

Taking that as an indication that she would appreciate a kiss very much, he leaned down and kissed her softly.

O-o-O

By the next day, the both of them were feeling excited and giddy.

They were both happy about the direction their relationship was going in, and they embraced it together, finding themselves wanting it. There was no use in fighting it, denying it...delaying it. It was love, they were _in_ love, and it would be just..._sick_ of them to do anything to fuck it all up again when they knew that their well-being and overall happiness rested in each other.

They were in the kitchen making some lunch while trying to watch _When Harry Met Sally_, which had been Calleigh's picking, not Eric's. He was more of an action movie kind of guy, and most certainly not a Meg Ryan fan. Still, he agreed to it because she promised they'd watch _Bad Boys_ I and II.

"It figures you would like a movie that involved blowing up half Miami," she'd teased.

Eric wrapped his arms around Calleigh's waist and placed a soft kiss on her cheek and she smiled, blushing.

Of course, it was rather hard to concentrate on making lunch and watching the movie when they were distracting each other with gentle touches, soft kisses, and impromptu embraces.

"Eric," she smiled.

His kisses made her melt, made her weak-kneed and she couldn't help but sink a little into his embrace. Being in his strong arms made her feel safe and comfortable, like she was always supposed to be in his arms.

They finally finished making lunch and they sat down on the couch in the living room.

"Okay, we're going to have to back this up," she said, picking up the remote and Eric groaned.

"C'mon, Cal," he chuckled. "You've seen this movie a million times..."

"Well if _someone_ hadn't been distracting me, I wouldn't have missed the orgasm," she said, and a hot blush arose in her cheeks.

It was true: she has seen the movie a million times.

But she has _never_ been slightly turned on and inspired by Meg Ryan's famous fake orgasm scene in the diner. It was completely embarrassing, and Calleigh wished that she had just let it go and continued with the rest of the movie. It was even more embarrassing that she somehow knew that if she and Eric were to make love, that it would be..._fantastic_ and that she wouldn't have to fake _anything_.

Eric didn't seemed to be fazed by the scene, not hot and bothered like Calleigh. He just continued to eat his sandwich, and he shook his head. She attributed the reason why the scene didn't seem to be affecting him was because of his lack of interest in the movie. He wasn't a big fan of romantic comedies, that much about his taste in visual entertainment she knew, since the beginning of their friendship.

If he was thinking the same things as she, he gave no indication; he seemed to be more interested in the ham sandwich she made for him than the movie, than probably even his own private thoughts.

She pushed the thought from her mind and continued to watch the movie.

They finished their lunch then they settled in for the rest of the afternoon watching movies.

When early evening rolled around, Eric told her to get dressed in something nice.

"Where are you taking me?" She asked as she got up from the couch and made her way to her room.

"It's a surprise," he said vaguely.

"Great," she sighed, rolling her eyes. "And it requires that I wear something nice? Upgrading us from hotdogs on the Marina, are you?"

"Most definitely," he chuckled.

"Are you taking me to Lafayette's again?"

"No," he laughed. "Will you just go...get dressed so we're not late?"

She frowned at him telling her what to do, but she went into her room and picked out an outfit before she went to use the master bathroom.

Eric finished getting ready before Calleigh, and he kept looking at his watch.

After another ten minutes, Calleigh emerged from her bedroom dressed in a strapless, form fitting fucshia knee length dress that wasn't too tight, but it hugged her curves in the right places. Her hair was half up, half down, and she had on a pair of black strappy heels, and a sweater matching her dress. Her makeup was perfect, as usual; not too much, but not too little.

Eric raked his eyes over her.

She looked absolutely breathtaking.

"Wow," he marveled. "You look...incredible."

She smiled bashfully as she came to him and kissed him softly. "You don't look so bad yourself, handsome."

He smiled. "Ready?"

"Yes."

Their destination was the Marina, but Eric surprised Calleigh with a dinner cruise.

"This is nice," she smiled as they boarded the yacht, which had about twenty other couples on board.

They were lead to their table, which was on the deck so that they could watch the sunset.

Once everyone was on board, the captain announced that there were ready to shove off.

"Oh my goodness," Calleigh laughed. "I've never been on a dinner cruise before...this is amazing, thank you, Eric."

"I'm glad you like it so far," he said. "I wanted to do something here that we've never done before."

The yacht picked up speed as it left the pier.

Calleigh looked at the view, and she loved the wind in her face, ignoring the beginnings of queasiness.

"Welcome aboard, folks, my name is Jaime, I'll be your server tonight. Can I start you off with a red or white wine?"

"Calleigh?" Eric asked.

"Um," she thought for a moment. "I think red."

"Any special selection?" Jaime asked.

"No, you can pick it," Calleigh smiled.

"Alright, I'll be back in a few minutes, here's your menus."

"Thank you," Eric said.

Calleigh opened up the menu and she began to look at what she would like to try.

But the longer she perused the entrees, the more queasy she became, and she took in a deep breath and sipped at her water.

"The steak actually looks really good," Eric commented, and Calleigh grimaced slightly at the thought of a slab of meat on a plate, or any slain animal on a plate for that matter.

She didn't know what was going on, and she felt the color draining from her face, and her vision blur from dizziness. Her stomach lurched, and she swallowed thickly, feeling the bile rise up in her throat.

_Oh God_...She thought to herself. _What's happening? It was probably that ham sandwich...I knew it smelled funny..._

"Hey, you want an appe-"

He paused when he beheld a very pale, sweaty, and dizzy Calleigh. Her face was extremely pale, and her eyes were crossed and rolling back as she swayed in her chair slightly.

"Calleigh, are you okay?"

She didn't answer him, and she could barely hear him, actually because she was so focused on her nauseated stomach, her swimming head, the smell of salt water...it all made her nausea rapidly worse, and she couldn't answer Eric.

"Calleigh?"

She gasped and opened her mouth, but instead of words, vomit came spewing out in their place, and the night went downhill from there.

O-o-O

After a dose of Dramamine, some hot tea, and immediately lying down, Calleigh began to feel better.

"I'm sorry I ruined our dinner," she apologized sleepily.

The Dramamine was making her drowsy and she was fading fast.

"It's okay Linda Blair," Eric joked and she smiled a bit.

Sea sickness.

She had no idea that she had sea sickness, and she was completely embarrassed.

She threw up on the table, all over the menu, the table cloth...Eric had been quite chivalrous, braving her projectile vomiting as he quickly escorted her to the restrooms. He held her hair back for her and then he somehow procured some club soda and crackers for her until they got back to shore. He felt beyond guilty, but it was irrational because neither of them knew that she was suceptible to sea sickness. Calleigh was so embarrassed and she began to cry and Eric told her that it was nothing to be embarrassed about.

They docked and Eric took her back to the house.

Now she was happily drugged up with a rather high dose of Dramamine because her nausea was so severe. Not only did it make her sleepy, it made her a little loopy as well.

"What do you think they did with the menu and table cloth?" She asked sleepily.

"I'm guessing they threw away the menu since you doused it pretty well," he sighed. "I think they might wash the table cloth."

"Gross," she grimaced. "They're going to keep it?"

"It's washable," he shrugged.

"That's so gross," she frowned as she burrowed into the covers of her bed. "So what're you going to do for dinner?"

"Uh, I'm probably going to make another sandwich," he said.

"Typical bachelors' staple," she mused.

"Anything to relieve the hunger," he chuckled before he leaned down and kissed her forehead. "Get some rest, _carina_."

"Mmhm, you too, _buenos aires...noches..._somethin', whatever," she drawled sleepily. "Don't eat the ham...it smells funny."

Eric exited her room and closed the door softly.

He went to the kitchen and fixed himself a sandwich, ate it quickly, then he went to bed himself.

It was some time later that Eric woke up, and he sat up in bed, rubbing over his face before he looked at the clock. It was almost three in the morning, and he sighed. He decided to get up and check on Calleigh, even though he figured that she might still be knocked out.

He opened up his door and then he went across the hall and he gently opened the door to her room and peeked in. After a moment, she sat up.

"Hey."

"Hey," he said as he came in. "How are you feeling?"

"I feel better," she said as she leaned over and turned on the lamp. "How long have you been up?"

"Few minutes," he said as he came over to her and caressed her cheek. "I wanted to come and check up on you. I'm glad you're better."

She grinned and nuzzled her cheek into his touch. His thumb gently stroked along her cheek bone, before he withdrew his hand.

"I'll let you get back to sleep," he said as he began to head back to his bedroom.

"I wasn't sleeping," she informed him plaintively.

"Oh...well you still-"

"Stay...stay with me."

He grinned a bit. "Okay."

He went over to the other side of the bed, and she scooted over and turned down the covers. He got into bed with her and they immediately snuggled close to each other under the covers. She wrapped her arms around his neck as she rested her forehead against his. His hand rested in the dip of her waist before he leaned in and kissed her softly.

"I love you," he whispered and she grinned as she kissed him again.

The kiss became deeper, more passionate and Eric tangled his fingers into her hair.

Calleigh's lips were tingling, and her whole body was aflame with arousal, just from a kiss.

He pulled away, and they looked into each other's eyes.

Ever since the fake orgasm scene, Eric has been thinking about how stunningly real it would be with Calleigh. He gave the impression that it didn't make him sweat a little, but it did. Instead of Meg Ryan's face, he saw Calleigh's, and instead of it being fake, it was absolutely real. He'd been thinking about it almost obsessively for hours, and when he took her out for dinner, the evening couldn't be over fast enough, but it was unfortunate that Calleigh's sea sickness made the evening a little less romantic. Regardless of an unromnatic evening or not, he still wanted her. He wanted to caress every inch of her body, kiss her everywhere...

She put her hands on his cheeks and she kissed him lovingly before she nuzzled her nose to his.

"Eric..."

"Yeah?"

She caressed her hand down his arm.

"Make love to me."

That definitely was _not _the Dramamine talking.

"A-are you sure?" He asked.

She nodded. "I want you to make love to me."

Well. She made herself pretty damn clear.

He kissed her chaste and deep and she was just as eager as she wrapped her arms around his neck again, moaning as she invited him in to deepen further the kiss. He broke it suddenly and began to kiss along her neck, nipping and licking right along her pulse point, making her shudder and moan softly. His hands caressed over her back and made their way over her abdomen, slipping under her spaghetti strap shirt. Her skin was just as smooth and soft as he'd imagined, and his warm hands caressed, memorized before moving to cup her breasts.

"Mm," she purred as he cupped her breasts and then teased her nipples with his thumbs. "Mmhm..."

She busied her hands with beginning to pull his tank top up and over his head. His lips broke contact with her neck, and his hands fell away from her breasts as she lifted his shirt higher and higher until it was off and she tossed it somewhere in the room. Eric decided to do the same with her shirt, and he tossed the article somewhere once he got it off of her.

He pushed the covers and the sheets off of them so that they'd be less constrained in their movements.

She pulled him into a dizzying kiss, the kind of kiss that expressed everything without words.

Calleigh gently nibbled his bottom lip before fully kissing him again.

He pulled away, in need of air, then he began to kiss down her neck and over her chest. Each kiss he left on her skin felt like being branded. The contact was scorching, sending electirc arousal coursing through her body. It was a slow burn, the fire she had inside that was growing for him, the hot, gradual boil of desire, desire about to be fulfilled after years of waiting.

She was so lost in her thoughts that she barely registered that Eric was pulling her shorts off, along with her panties. When she did, she helped him get them the rest of the way off and he dropped them over the side of the bed. He sat up and he took in her completely nude body.

She was a vision, completely sexy and beyond beautiful.

"God Calleigh," he breathed. "You're gorgeous."

He saw the flush in her skin and how she grinned slightly.

"You really are," he insisted before he leaned down and kissed her softly.

Calleigh caressed her hands down his chest to the waistband of his pants. She smiled into the next kiss, purring as she slipped her hand into his pants.

He groaned. "Calleigh..."

She pushed his pants off, and he laid down next to her to kick them the rest of the way off.

They were both fully naked before each other, and they were both equally enthralled with what they saw, or rather _who_ they saw. Calleigh had pictured Eric naked a few times since they'd been working together, especially in those damn wetsuits, but none of those fantasies could ever measure up to this man lying next to her. He was all muscle, smooth bronze skin, and sinewy strength that she wanted covering her body.

She caressed over his skin, let slow, hot kisses over his chest almost reverently. Likewise, Eric was taking her in, and it was obvious that he liked what he saw because there was desire and love and lust in his eyes. Her skin had become more tanned over the years, and she was perfect with her smooth, gardenia smelling skin, her luscious curves.

He cupped and squeezed her breast, leaning in to lick and suck at the nipple. She tilted her head back and moaned. The thumb on his other hand was rubbing over her other nipple and she bit her lip.

"Mm," she moaned.

He gently pushed her onto her back and he began to kiss down her body again. When he reached his destination, she moaned loudly, arching up.

"Yes...Eric..."

She relaxed onto the bed again, and he pushed her thighs open a little wider. Her eyes rolled back as she just let sensation take over. She tilted her head back into the pillows and clenched the bed sheets.

"Oh God...Eric..."

Her soft moans, her whimpers and purrs only made him that much more eager for her, and he decided that he'd take his time later.

He stopped and he kissed up her body, his face greeting her confused one again.

"Why'd you stop?"

"We have time," he breathed in between kisses. "Right now, I just want you, Calleigh."

With that, he turned them onto their sides again and then gently pulled her closer to him until her body was pressed against his. He kissed her lovingly as he caressed down her side then down her thigh to the back of her knee and he gently bent it and brought it over his hip, the top of his thigh under hers.

He placed his hand on her lower back.

"Protection?"

"We're okay," she informed him.

He nodded. "Ready?"

She nodded.

Eric pulled her even closer then he entered Calleigh with a quick but smooth thrust, making her gasp and whimper.

"Mm...unh..."

"Did I hurt you?" He asked, thinking that he should have gone slower.

"No," she whispered. "It's just been a while...I need a minute."

He kissed along the column of her neck, tasting her sweet skin as she adjusted to him. She closed her eyes, burying her face into the crook of his neck, his soft caresses relaxing her as she pressed against him even more, taking him in further. He felt so amazing, and she hooked her arms under his as she kissed his shoulder.

Inside, she was exquisite and he was losing his resolve to make it last already. His intention was to take things slowly with her because has always thought about this moment, how incredible it would be, how he didn't want it to ever end...well, not too soon at least. He wanted to give her pleasure, watch the nuances as he moved with her.

After she was more relaxed and comfortable, she began to buck her hips gently and he knew that she was ready. He caressed his hands down her back to the curve of her rear, leaving a scorching, open mouthed kiss on her neck. Calleigh moaned and brought his lips to hers for a deep kiss, her hips bucking a little more insistently, and she whimpered as she nibbled his bottom lip gently, wanting him to finally begin to make love to her.

She pulled away and licked his shoulder and then whispered into his ear, "Eric...no more waiting."

He gripped her behind and he pushed up into her with a low grunt that made her gasp and cry out what she'd been so afraid to say for so long:

"Eric I love you...I love you so much."

She held tightly to him as they moved together as one, their bodies and their hearts joined, intertwined, never to let go.

O-o-O

Eric woke up to soft, gentle kisses along his shoulder, collar bone, up his neck and finally his lips. He grinned slightly as another kiss was placed upon him and he opened his eyes to Calleigh's angelic face as she straddled him.

"Morning," he greeted her drowsily.

"It's afternoon," she corrected with a smile as she caressed her hands over his chest.

"Really?" He asked, looking over at the clock. It was almost a quarter to twelve and he looked at her, putting his hands on her hips. "It's late..."

"Yeah," she teased. "Only because _someone_ ignored the no midnight tiptoe rule..."

He raised an eyebrow as he caressed his hands up her abdomen to cup her breasts. "Well, this someone is glad he did..."

She placed her hands over his, then she laced their fingers together and brought them over his head as she leaned down to kiss him languidly. He wanted this everyday for the rest of his life, to be with Calleigh like this, to wake up to her and have her close to tell her he loved her.

She pulled away softly, smiling, her face aglow with satisfaction and contentment.

They made love twice last night and then again just a few hours ago.

The first time had been slow, sensuous and unhurried, stoking the intense fire and exquisite friction between their bodies until it combusted and brought them over with shuddering sighs and each other's names falling from their lips, the second time had been more impassioned with chaste kisses and hands gripping, nails digging into flesh, and the third time had been sweet, languid and sleepy with barely sensed movements yet it was still lulling and arousing at the same time.

Just thinking about them together made her heart flutter and her skin flush and Calleigh brought her lips down to meet his again.

"I love you," he said against her lips and she gently licked his lips before kissing them again.

"I love you too," she said sweetly then she released their hands and sat up. "Are you hungry?"

"Mmhm," Eric nodded as he caressed her thighs. "Didn't get much to eat last night since you uh...cut dinner short."

"Yeah well, next time just remember to keep it on dry land," she mused. "Anyway, there's pipin' hot grilled cheese sandwiches and lemonade being served in this wonderful little place called The Kitchen."

"Then I guess we should get out of bed," he grinned, giving her a once over. "But that's kind of difficult with a very pretty naked lady sitting on me."

She smiled and she got off of him and he got out of bed and began to search for his clothes.

Calleigh combed her fingers through her hair before she tilted her head to the side, appreciating Eric's wonderful, toned body as he searched for his clothes.

"Uhhmm...CSI Delko."

He looked at her. "What?"

"The kitchen has this wonderful policy to heighten our dining pleasure," she said in her best sultry voice.

He raised an eyebrow. "And what policy is that?"

She traced her finger down his chest, smirking as she looked into his eyes.

"Clothing optional."

With that she took his hand and led him to the kitchen.

"I've never had a meal while I was naked before," Eric commented as he took a sip of lemonade.

She raised her eyebrow at him. "Never?"

"Never, well not until now," he grinned. "And I'm glad it's with you."

She smiled as she swept her hair over her shoulder. "Do you like the lemonade?"

"Yeah, is it homemade?" He asked before he took another bite out of his sandwich.

"Frozen...with some extra lemon juice and sugar."

"Could've fooled me," he chuckled.

"That's only 'cause you're easy," she teased.

"When it comes to you, I am."

After they finished eating, they retreated back to the bedroom, kissing on the way.

O-o-O

Eric told Calleigh that he loved her again.

She smiled, blushing as she looked into the fire he'd made on the beach, digging her toes into the cool sand.

She looked over to him, her hair flowing over her shoulders, and she let go of the oversized sweater she was holding tightly to her petite body and she caressed his cheek with one hand and the other rested upon his thigh.

"Eric..."

Tomorrow was their last day at the house, and she was quite disappointed because the last week had been absolutely wonderful, like it was out of her most secret dreams. She didn't know that she could possibly feel this _good_, this happy and loved. Eric was always quick to remind her that he loved her, and it made her heart soar with ecstasy and excitement.

They decided to test his skills at fire making when they realized that they had perfectly good wine, chocolate and graham crackers for s'mores. He passed with flying colors, making a pit and lighting the fire quickly just as the sun was setting. Calleigh grimaced at the fact that Eric liked for his marshmallows to be roasted black. She only liked them to swell and then she placed it onto the chocolate and waited until it became gooey before she bit into it.

When she had a drop of chocolate on the corner of her mouth, he leaned in and licked and kissed it away. They made several of the treats and drank a few glasses of wine before they just sat and talked.

"I love you, Calleigh," he'd said a few moments ago and she was still blushing and smiling like a fool.

"I love you, Eric," she said softly before she brought his lips to hers for a soft, feather light kiss.

"I wish that we didn't have to leave tomorrow," he said as he caressed her cheek.

"I know," she pouted a bit, then she shrugged. "So I guess we should make the best of the time we have left here..."

Eric smirked. "You're right...race you to bed?"

She pretended to really have to think about it, smiling.

"Hmm...okay!"

Eric put some sand into the dying fire to put the remainder of it out then they got up. He took her hand and they rushed back into the house.


End file.
